An Australian Joint Counter Terrorism Team is investigating the past of the flydubai co-pilot who attacked his captain mid-flight on Wednesday in what the UAE Attorney General has classified as a “terrorist attack.”
The multi-agency unit, comprising federal police, Victorian state police, and the ASIO intelligence agency, is specifically looking into the man’s historical ties to Australia. RMIT University in Melbourne confirmed in a statement that the unnamed co-pilot had enrolled in an engineering program there about a decade ago but did not complete the qualification.
The investigation follows a harrowing incident aboard Dubai-to-Israel Flight FZ1073, where the co-pilot allegedly attacked the captain with a crash axe, causing the aircraft to plunge 16,000 feet in just 30 seconds. A disaster was averted when passengers and crew subdued the attacker. A reserve flydubai pilot traveling on board took control and safely diverted the plane to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where the co-pilot was detained before being transferred to the UAE.
Following the incident, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the National Security Council to conduct a thorough review of security protocols regarding foreign civil aviation to Israel.
